Scale or indicator strip for type-writer carriages.



- PATENTED AUG. 11-, '1908. R.. GRADWELL.

SCALE 0R INDICATOR STRIP FOR TYPE WRITER CARRIAGES.

APPLICATION FILED PBIB.4,1907.

UNITED STATES IiAgENT OFFICE.

RIOORD GRADWELL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE OLIVER TYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 11, 1908.

Application filed February 4, 1907. Serial No. 355,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RIOORD GRADWELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scale or Indicator Strips for Type-I/Vriter Carriages; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a novel attachment for typewriter carriages in the nature of a scale or indicator strip and a holder therefor designed to facilitate the work of tabulating vertical columns of figures or other matter on a sheet of paper.

More specifically the invention embraces means for locating and holding in position an indicator or scale-strip adjacent to the print ing line and parallel with the platen of a sight typewriting machine, whereby the positions of numbers or other matter to be columnated may be readily determined by reference to the designations on the indicator scale or strip closely adjacent to said printing line, and without the necessity of consulting column headings which may be printed at the top of the sheet of paper, receiving the impressions, or remembering the positions of the several columns on the sheet if no such designating headings be provided.

The device embodying my invention embraces a scale strip and a holder for said strip located in rear of the upper surface of the platen, or on the side of the printing point thereof remote from the usual letter scale bar, and which is pivotally connected with the paper carriage so that it may be swung or moved bodily toward and from thesurface of the platen together with means formaintaining said holder in its operative position adjacent to and at the rear of the printing point. p

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention it is applied to the paper carriage of the Oliver typewriting machine, and in this adaptation of the invention the holder may be conveniently mounted on an auxiliary paper guide of the general construction illustrated in the prior United States Letters Patent to Knapp, No. 761,306, dated May As shown in the drawings :Figure 1 is a top plan view of the main parts of an Oliver typewriting machine carriage showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a transverse section, taken on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partial transverse section, showing the indicator strip holder thrown upwardly away from the platen. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of one end of the holder, showing the indicator strip therein. Fig. 5 is a detail section, taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a cross-section, taken on line 66 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the general features of construction of the paper-carriage, A designates the platen or printing cylinder and A A turning knobs thereof.

B designates the principal longitudinal framev member of the carriage on which the rack-bar b of the letter spacing mechanism is formed, and B B the end members of the carriage frame in which the shaft of the platen is rotatively mounted.

C C C designate three presser or guide rollers by which the paper is held against the platen in its movement from beneath the platen upwardly and rearwardly to the top of the same to the point at which the printing takes place.

D designates the letter scale-bar which extends longitudinally of the platen in front of the printing point and is supported at its ends on the carriage end plates B B E designates a horizontal supporting bar which extends between and connects the end plates B B and is located in rear of the platen or the side of the same toward which the paper travels during the printing operation.

G designates a guide rod which has hinged or pivotal connection with the horizontal sup orting bar E and extends longitudinally of tie platen between the printing line and said supporting rod. The said rod G constitutes an auxiliary paper guide, as in the con struction of the aforesaid prior Knapp patent and constitutes in addition thereto a support for the indicator or scale strip holder. Said rod G is attached to an arm G which is hinged on a horizontal hinge rod H mounted in lugs e of the supporting bar E, whereby the free end of said arm and the guide rod and holder carried thereby are adapted to swing upwardly and l'earwardly from the platen. A spring I, surrounding said hinge rod and suitably engaging at its ends the said arm and bar, respectively, acts to throw the arm downwardly and hold it in its downward po sition. The arm G is fashioned between its ends to engage the supporting bar in such manner that the bar acts as a sto to limit the downward swing of the arm anc the parts carried thereby, in the position shown in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3 the said arm is shown as swung upwardly away from the platen. Said arm is provided with a knob or finger lever G by which to swing it upwardly and rearwardly on its hinge.

Referring now to the parts constituting the present invention, the same are made as folows: J designates a horizontal scale or indicator strip that is longitudinally divided into a number of sections bearing appropriate words or marks to designate the headings or subject matter of the various columns to be written on the sheet of paper supported in the carriage. K designates the holder for said indicator strip. Said holder is mounted on and carried by the arm G and the guide rod G before referred to, and is disposed parallel with said guide rod. The holder is therefore located in rear of the printing point on the platen and parallel with the axis of the platen. The. holder is made of a length ap proximately that of the platen so as to receive an indicator or scale strip of a length at least as great as that of the letter scale bar G. The holder may be attached to the arm G and the guide rod G in any suitable manner, as by means of solder, which holds the same rigidly connected with said parts. It will, of course, be understood that any number of variously arranged column indicator stri s may be used interchangeably with a sing e permanently attached holder. The said indicator strip holder is herein shown as made of a single strip of sheet metal. It comprises a flat bottom portion is (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) and parallel side marginal flanges k k which are folded upwardly and inwardly to wards each other, over said bottom portions, to form oppositely disposed grooves or channels to receive the margins of the scale or indicator strip. The said strip is inserted endwise into the holder, the holder for this purpose being open at one end, the righthand end as herein shown. Said folded over margins 7c of the holder are separated from each other a distance to constitute a space through which the indicating words or marks on the scale-strip are read. Preparatory to insert ing the strip in place, the holder is swung upwardly above the plane of the upper margins of the end plates of the carriage, as shown in Fig. 3, in which position of the holder the strip is free to be inserted endwise thereinto. The said swinging arm and holder thus constitute a swinging frame which is normally held in its lowermost position by the spring I and is capable of being swung upwardly above the frame of the carriage to permit the ready insertion and removal of the column indicator strip. The holder is provided with an adjustable stop L whereby the marks or indications on the strip'may be adjusted endwise to any given position desired relatively to the divisions of the letter scale constituting the stop, hold said stop adjustably in place. The said stop may, therefore, be adjusted longitudinally of the holder by the act of sliding it endwise therein.

So far as the broader as ect of the invention is concerned, the hoTder may assume other forms, and its construction and the manner of mounting it in place will be varied in adapting the invention to other forms of paper-carriages.

1 claim as my invention 1. The combination with the paper carriage and platen of a typewriting machine, of a column indicating strip and a holder for said strip sustaining the strip parallel with the platen .at the rear of the printing point, said holder having pivotal connection with the carriage afl'ording bodily movement thereof toward and from the platen, and means for maintaining the holder normally in position adjacent to the platen.

2. The combination with the paper carriage and platen of a typewriting machine, of a column indicating strip and a holder for said strip sustaining the same parallel with the platen at the rear of the printing point, saidholder having pivotal connection with the carriage affording bodily movement thereof toward and from the platen, means yieldingly maintaining said holder normally in position adjacent to the platen.

3. The combination with the paper carriage and printing platen of a typewriting machine, of a column indicating strip arranged in rear of the printing point and parallel with the platen, a swinging holder for said strip, a spring applied to the holder to swing the same towards the platen and a stop maintaining the holder in its operative position.

4. The combination with the paper carriage and printing platen of a typewriting The form of stop j machine, of a column indicating strip bearing my invention I affix my signature in the column headings in rear of the printing point presence of two witnesses, this 28 day of J anand parallel with the platen, a grooved holder nary A. D. 1907.

with which said strip has sliding engagement RICORD GRADIVELL. 5 and a sliding stop for afiording endwise ad- Witnesses: I

justment of the strip in said holder. 0. CLARENCE PooLE,

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as A. M. BUNN. 

